"Why indeed?" There was a wealth of meaning in Kon"s words.

Was it too much to hope that Hades actually cared whether she stayed or left? There had to be a way to find out quickly. Taylor slipped back into her room.

Linx was here to take her to New Atlantis because Hades didn"t think she was safe. Taylor pressed her hand to her racing heart and tried to slow her breathing. She should be thrilled. Excited even, that she"d get to see Tabby soon. But all she felt was panic. She couldn"t leave here until things were settled between her and Hades, until they"d talked everything out, until they"d made love one final time.

"Hades, Hades, Hades, what am I going to do with you?" she muttered under her breath.

Don"t panic. Don"t panic.

Taylor ran across the room and grabbed some clean clothes out of her closet. She had to get to the Dark King before he did anything else insane. She wasn"t exactly sure what she"d say to him when she saw him, but she"d think of something.

In her mind, it no longer mattered whether Linx found out about the kidnapping. More important things were at stake. She showered quickly and threw her clothes on, then pulled her long, red hair back into a tight braid. Taylor rushed out of the room, only to be stopped short by Kon.

"Where"s the King?" she asked.

"I told you that his mood is less than optimal at present," Kon said.

"Well I don"t think waiting is going to make it any better, especially if he"s p.i.s.sed off about Linx being here. Now where is he?"

Kon hesitated.

"Please Kon." She choked back a sob. "I need to talk to him, before I go. It"s important." It was more than important to her. Taylor couldn"t leave, until she knew the truth.

"He is in the Great Hall meeting with his tactical advisors and does not want to be disturbed," he said.

So it wasn"t only Linx that the King was trying to avoid. He didn"t want to speak with her either. Well too bad. Taylor dodged left, then cut right and ran. Kon cursed and started after her. She could hear his heavy boots. .h.i.tting the stone behind her. With his long legs, he should"ve been able to catch her easily.

Taylor glanced back. He was letting her get away. What was the warrior up to? There was no time now to find out. She ran straight for the Great Hall and rushed inside.

Like the first time she"d saw him, Hades was seated at the foot of his throne, dressed in black fabric that molded his hard body, making him appear menacing. Several guards surrounded him. Their heads were bent over a holographic map, which had been spread out in front of them. They all looked up as she rushed inside with Kon hot on her high heels.

Kon skidded to a halt when he caught sight of Hades, and bowed. "I"m sorry, Sire. I told her that you were not to be disturbed, but she would not listen. She insisted on coming here immediately to speak to you." He didn"t sound sorry, but he did look contrite.

Hades" cool gaze moved from the guard over to Taylor. There he began a slow appraisal of her body. By the time the Dark King finished his examination, Taylor"s face was flushed and her temperature had skyrocketed.

She took a step forward. "We need to talk."

Hades stared at her. "I do not have time right now. As you can see," he indicated to the men around him. "I am in a meeting."

He had time to call Linx, he had time to get her packed up, he had time to turn her on, but he didn"t have time to talk. Yeah, so not happening. The King was not going to get rid of her that easy. "Make time," she growled.

Taylor steadfastly ignored the shocked expressions of the guards and continued her approach. In all likelihood, this was her last and only chance to speak to Hades before she had to leave. The strategy meeting could wait. Linx could wait. h.e.l.l, they all could, until she had her answer.

Something flared in Hades" blue eyes, before being carefully shuttered. "Then by all means, speak!"

Here? In front of everyone? She thought she"d get to talk to him in private. You"re the one who interrupted his meeting. What did you expect?

Taylor made her way to the throne and stopped below the dais. If he wanted to talk in front of his friends, then so be it. Though he might be sorry he did, by the time she was finished.

"Why didn"t you let me challenge Opal in the Pit?" the question was out of her mouth before she realized she was going to ask it. Sure, she"d thought about it. She"d wondered why he"d denied her the right, but that hadn"t been the first thing Taylor had wanted to know.

Hades blinked in surprise, then said slowly, "Because you would"ve died."

"It was my choice," Taylor said.

"No!" He shook his head. "It was my choice. You are not from here. You do not know our ways."

She crossed her arms over her chest and called it like she saw it. "Bulls.h.i.t!"

Hades" jaw clenched.

Taylor leaned forward. "I may not be from here, but in the short period of time that I"ve been here I have gotten a pretty good grasp of your ways. It was my right to challenge Opal after she betrayed me. You denied me that right."

The Dark King stood so abruptly that everyone took a step back. Angry white lines bracketed his cruelly sensual mouth. "I decide who has rights in my Kingdom. And I will not allow your rash behavior to get you killed. I vowed to keep you safe. I failed once. I will not fail again."

"You did not fail," she said.

"Yes, I did," he said. "But it was for the last time." He slammed his fist against his chest. The thud echoed in the silence. "I will not watch you die. For that, you ask too much of me."

Taylor"s heart skipped a beat. What was he saying? Was the King admitting that he cared? She didn"t know. Couldn"t tell. She had created so many imaginary relationships over the years by projecting her emotions onto every man she cared about in hopes that they would one day love her in return that it made recognizing the truth difficult. Taylor didn"t want to make the same mistake with the Dark King. He was different from the rest. She wanted what they had to be real, not just wishful thinking on her part.

"So let me get this straight, your solution for this whole situation is to pack me up and ship me off to New Atlantis," she said.

"Yes." He nodded. "You"ll be safe there. I won"t have to-"

"You won"t have to what? Worry? Care? Think about me ever again?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Taylor had come here for an answer, had come here for the truth, even if it wasn"t what she wanted to hear. Hades hadn"t exactly made a clear declaration. She wasn"t sure that he ever would.

The Dark King"s expression hardened. "It is done."

Taylor brushed her hands together. "Just like that, eh? Didn"t even think to ask if it was okay with me? If it was what I wanted? Just poof and I"m gone."

Hades" nostrils flared. "I did not need your input."

"I see," she ground out. "First you tell me that I"m not one of your people, then in the next breath you tell me I have to follow your orders. Make up your mind, Monster Kitty. You cannot have it both ways."

"I already have," he said, his voice tight.

"Fine!" She shrugged. "Have it your way." Taylor made like she was going to leave, then swung around at the last second to face the King and his warriors. "I, Taylor Sh.e.l.ley, formally challenge you, Hades, the Dark King in the Pit tonight." Desperation made her open her mouth to utter the outrageous proposition, but it was love that fueled her conviction. Taylor"s body trembled as she declared her intentions.

She"d obviously lost her mind. Taylor clearly and vividly recalled what Hades had done to the last person who had challenged him in the Pit, but what choice did she have? She couldn"t let him kick her out. Not yet.

The guards stared at her in disbelief. But they weren"t nearly as shocked as Hades.

"Take that back," he demanded.

Taylor set her jaw and glared at him. "No!"

Hades stepped down from the dais and approached her, his gaze searching her face. "You"ve seen what I become and what I can do. You have no hope of winning. You must know that."

Oh she did know. There wasn"t a s...o...b..a.l.l.s chance of her beating Hades in the Pit, not in a fair fight anyway. She couldn"t even beat him if she cheated, but that wasn"t the point. She needed to break his iron-fisted control. Only then would the truth come out.

"You never know," she said, knowingly baiting him. "I might get lucky."

"Or you could die." He"d said it to scare her.

It worked. She was well and truly terrified, but Taylor wasn"t about to back down. "There"s always a chance."

His brow furrowed and his expression grew mutinous. "You cannot possibly win the throne." He growled and gnashed teeth. "Even if you did manage the unthinkable, there"s no way you could hold the seat for long."

Poor, poor Dark King. He was so used to people trying to get his seat of power that it didn"t occur to him that she might be after something else entirely. Taylor met his hard gaze with one of her own. The tension in the Great Hall became stifling. The guards shifted, their unease growing.

Taylor eventually took pity on their unwanted audience. "Who said anything about wanting your throne?" she asked.

Hades" eyes widened and he reared back in surprise. "What else could you..." His words cut off abruptly and his expression closed down, but not before she saw the admiration in his eyes. Or was that antic.i.p.ation? Knowing Hades it was probably a bit of both.

"Fine!" he said. "I accept your challenge."

"Good." Taylor grinned and pivoted to leave.

Hades caught her arm, stopping her short. She glanced at his hand, then at his handsome face. He gave her a wicked grin that sent a shaft of heat straight to her core. "Be prepared to bow before the Dark King," he said.

Taylor sniffed. "I bow before no man," she replied, even though the thought had her pulse racing and parts of her body moistening in antic.i.p.ation.

"You"ll bow before me." The King inhaled and his feral grin widened. "I"ll have you on your knees before the night is through."

She pressed her lips together and bit the inside of her cheek to keep focused. "I"m not the one who"ll be on my knees tonight. See you in the Pit, Monster Kitty." Taylor strolled off, making sure to rock her hips seductively as she went. She had never been more scared, more excited, or more turned on in her life. She might not be able to win the challenge. Okay, no way would she win the fight. But maybe, just maybe she"d be able to win the man.

Hades couldn"t tear his eyes away from Taylor"s lush a.s.s. If there weren"t so many guards around, he"d take her to the ground and f.u.c.k her where she stood. His c.o.c.k ached to have her, especially after he"d come so close to losing her. The challenge only fueled his need. Her sweet scent lingered on the air, teasing him long after her departure.

For a moment he had feared, that like all the others who had come before her, Taylor was after his throne. It was a ridiculous thought. He was ashamed that it had even crossed his mind. One look in her eyes had revealed her true motives. And the truth he"d seen there had left him shaken.

So shaken, that even now Hades refused to accept it for fear it wasn"t real.

The little fool had lost her mind. That could be the only logical explanation for her erratic behavior. No sane person would challenge him in front of his men. They would pet.i.tion him in private. That way if Hades turned them down, they would save face.

He should"ve ignored her clumsy attempt to p.r.i.c.k his temper, but Hades had never been able to ignore Taylor. Something about her held his attention, refusing to release him. It was why he"d refused to see Linx, even though he"d summoned him. He wasn"t ready to let the little Earthling go yet. He knew he should, but Hades wasn"t sure that he"d ever be.

He stared at the closed door, until he heard murmurs of concern coming from his guards. Their low voices a painful reminder that he wasn"t alone. And whose fault was that? Hades cursed under his breath. He should"ve known that Taylor was up to something, when she stormed into the Great Hall. He should"ve stopped her before she opened her exquisite mouth. But he hadn"t. Something had stayed his tongue.

With his men present to witness Taylor issuing the challenge, Hades had no choice but to accept it or lose face. At least that"s what he told himself...though he"d never worried about such things before.

He turned to find all his guards wide-eyed and gaping at him. "What are you looking at?" he snapped.

They all ducked their heads. "Nothing, Sire."

"Good, then let"s get back to work."

Taylor thought she"d have a heart-attack before she made it out of the Great Hall. If Kon hadn"t met her halfway, she would"ve collapsed. What in the world was she thinking? She"d just challenged Hades, the Dark King to meet her in the Pit. Really bad things happened in that place. Really bad and really...decadent things.

She needed to be ready for both. Taylor turned to Kon, who"d kept pace beside her.

"You must have a plan," he said, giving her sanity the benefit of the doubt. "Why else would you do something so foolish?"

Did she have a plan? Not really. It was more of a spur of the moment, not fully formed, idea that had seemed good at the time. Hades had rushed her by calling Linx. In response, she"d done something rash. Now Taylor had to live with her decision. "I"m going to need a few things for tonight."

Kon nodded. "What is it you need?"

"Do you guys have spray bottles?" she asked.

He frowned and shook his head in confusion.

Taylor described what she meant.

"Ah, not exactly," he said. "But I believe I might have an adequate subst.i.tute."

"Good enough," she said. "I also need the training poles distributed throughout the Pit. Four should do, if they"re s.p.a.ced evenly enough." If she could reach any of the poles, then there was a good chance Hades wouldn"t be able to catch her. At least not right away.

"What do you need the poles for?" he asked, then added. "They are not weapons." This time his tone did question her sanity.

"I realize that," Taylor said. "Can you just do this for me?"

"I will," Kon said hesitantly. "If you tell me what you"re really up to."

Taylor stopped walking. "I can"t leave here with Linx. Not yet. Not when there"s a chance..."

Kon continued to stare, then his red eyes softened. "You love the Dark King," he said. "I mean really love the Dark King. Not for his t.i.tle, but for who he is." He sounded amazed...and relieved. "I thought as much. Your scent changes when you"re around him."

"I didn"t say-"

He smiled. "You didn"t have to. Only love could explain the madness of your plan," he said.

Taylor"s face heated and she lowered her voice. "You"re not going to say anything, are you?"

Kon shook his head. "There is nothing to say."

"I haven"t told Hades." She sighed. "I don"t know if he feels the same. I won"t know for sure until tonight."

His expression was sympathetic. "Hades is a complicated man. Being King makes him more so. It takes complicated men time to sort through their emotions. Do not give up on him. You have me and the Phantom people behind you, pulling for your success."

"Thank you." Taylor grinned.

"No, thank you." Kon gave her a short bow.